Apart at the Seams
by MerryWeathers
Summary: Elphaba may no longer be the Wicked Witch of the West, but that doesn't mean Oz and Glinda has completely left her thoughts. When events come into play that takes Fiyero back to the City, Elphaba chooses to follow, in the most unlikely of disguises.
1. Prologue

Okay- I started this story a LOOOONG time ago. I even posted an author's note, and said I get the first chapter up within a few days. See...that didn;t happen. One, I got a job, two- the heater in our house broke. You may not think that has much to do with me being lazy and not putting anything up- but see, I write all my stuff out on paper before I type and set them. The other way we heated our house- is we have a fireplace. It got so bloody cold in my room two weeks ago I burnt the entire six chapters I had done at that time before I actually fully woke up...

...so, I had to rewrite it all : and this is the first result, a good old, totally fluffy prologue. The actual first chapter should be up (this time for real) within a few days.

I am really sorry to anyone who actually browsed this- trust me, nobody feels stupider than I do at the moment.

Anyways:

**Disclaimer-****I do not own any Wicked Characters. I DO own a quilt, one which my other is currently making me fix, because someone cut holes in it whistles... I don't one any Wizard of Oz things, either. I **_**never **_**get first dibs on anything so good...**

_-----_

_The soft swish of water as it rocked against the shore of the landlocked watering hole. _

_Sighs; one form the dust blowing wind, and the other, a sigh of comfort as someone slipped as quietly as one could into the colder water._

_A shimmering reflection of pales stars and a half moon which glowed in the night sky, on the now disturbed mirror that was the desert pond._

_A scraggly, overcropping tree, and many, many rocks, which bordered the shores, closing it off from being reclaimed into the dry sands around them all._

_And two people, relishing the freedom this current cover of night gave them both._

"_Oh come on now- When you said you wanted to stop for a swim, I was under the impression that some splashing about and swimming was going to be involved!"_

" _I never said I wanted to swim- I needed to __**bathe**__!"_

_The two voice- both of different genders, laugh: though not open, unhalting laughs- they no longer had the right to be so boisterous about their merriment, and so were forced to keep it muted, and short. In the silence that followed, the male speaker shifted on the rocky outcropping, folding his legs beneath him in an unhumanly flexible way._ _The woman- in the water, made her way towards him, feeling out the way carefully before her, and making firmly sure that her feet continued to be in contact with the gritty bottom._

" _I don't swim, anyways."_

" _I suppose you wouldn't, would you." Replied the male, voice turning thick with false demureness. " Considering your damn well near considering suicide at this very moment._

_A long fingered hand flicked water up at her dry-docked companion. _

"_Shut up."_

_Again, that cheated laughter, all too quick, but this time, ending because both leaned respectively up or down, and met halfway in a gentle kiss..._

_From which Elphaba broke away first, as of yet still unaccustomed to the new roughness of Fiyero's fabriced cheeks. _

"_Stop looking at me like that!" Was her lover's reply, as the straw man sat back to better study the woman below him, and find what caused the quick dismissal._

"_Like what, exactly?"_

" _Like...I don't know. You're baleful...regretful...sorry. Do I really look that bad?"_

"_No, It's not- not you."_

"_I thought we'd gone over this!" Fiyero sighed, for indeed, they had- several times in the past three days. " You did what you had to do. I'm okay with it, not to mention grateful. End of story."_

_Again, silence between them. To all the world, save perhaps the pair themselves, and a winging (S)saker above, the desert may as well have been completely dead. The water parted, as the emerald woman stepped to the rock again- hair trailing behind her like some mass of blackened water plants- a nymph of children's stories. Fiyero reached out to her, and she extended her own damp one into his glove, letting him chivalrously pull her closer._

"_Whatever you say- it's never going to stop me from feeling sorry."_

" _I know, just...try."_

_They met again to kiss, and this time, stayed that way for a very, very long time._

_That night, it was just them: man and woman; Wicked Witch and scarecrow; Elphaba and Fiyero. Alone in the world, but alone with each other._

_And in love._


	2. In Which Glinda has a Moral Dilemma

_My GOD! This took me WAAAAY too long to finish...and I'm not totally happy with the ending. I'll be the first to say- I'm Sorrysorrysorry! Let's just explain it this way- Front of House. School Musical. TAKES OVER LIVES!_

_Alright then..._

_One thing, I should add...I had a beta reader...so I'd like to thank yummycherrygum in advance...for listening to me non stop...bugging him at everything from parties to early-morning emails for helping me with this.(I MAY look for another opinion on some stuff...when I get there...but basically...he's my main talk-to person right now.) But, saying that...really not sure about the abrupt ending of this chapter...it's just that...I'd want to get back to Fiyero and Elphaba in the next chapter...but needed to let y'all know what was happening with our other Witch of Oz. Oh...and the title is indefinately subject to change...I'm trying to keep with a theme Idea I have...and this one didn't work as well as the other ones I have planned._

_Lastly...in favour of Faba's suggestion...this story for the time being is T...depends if I want to go...darker...still contemplating...but most likely...will stay T._

_**Disclaimer: Don't Own it. Never have...Same Ol', Same Ol'.**_

_**Chapter 1 - **_

_**In Which Glinda Has a Moral Dilemma**_

One had to admit, even if it's walls were not the splendored green so many were tricked into believing, even if the Emerald City was nothing by a towering metropolis of white sloping granite buildings and crudely paved ghetto streets, where every shop and private home sported bottle-glass windows, it was a opposing spot to see. A blemish on the sloping countrysides, it was indefinitely the most glamoured crossroads in any Country. From the tallest balconies, one could see in all four directions of Oz- most predominately the now winter-barren farmlands of Munchkinland, and the bare forest before them.

In the cold, snowy mornings that always seemed to accompany the months Proceeding and Ascending Lurlinemas Eve, a lone person stood out on perhaps the tallest balcony of the entire city. An absurdly small, frail looking figure, though by no stretch of the imagination was this any sort of stereotypical damsel in distress. Perhaps at one point Glinda had filled that roll, but now, it was a highly unsuitable title for one who ran the expansive Land of Oz.

The sun had yet to peek it's way up over the hills to the east, so she was lit from the candles and gas-fueled lanterns ablaze in the room behind her. Around her shoulders a overly large and, of course, passionate pink housecoat wrapped firmly around her already shivering frame. Even in her just awoken state, one could see the beauty of the petite blonde: bouncing curls, mussed by sleep, framing her full heart-shaped face just so, the chill bringing color to her cheeks, and bringing tears to her blue eyes so they shawn with watery gleam. There was a grown-up, solid sense, even dressed as ethereal as in the frock she'd warn to bed, frilled and laced yet conceived as modest attire to the fashion-driven woman, that perhaps gave her linkage to the role she had been filling for the past few months. It was not very hard to believe that the stately Glinda ruled, literally, over everything she could see and more in the dimmed light of the pre-dawn morning.

It could be, and was, overwhelming.

Six months. In fact, it was six months, two weeks, and three days since Glinda had been thrust from Spokeswoman of the Wizard to Ruler of Oz. Six months, two weeks, and two days since she'd actually been able to have a day to herself, and day in which there would be no documents to sign, no debates to attend, no parties to grace with her presence. It was a blessing, for it was a day even a socialite like her dreamed of every once and a while. Yet, it was a curse, for she had no idea whatsoever what she was going to do with it.

Shopping was always a suitable fall-upon choice...but now that everyone immediately looked to her the minute she stepped onto the street, it was usually more stressful than it was worth. Strolling the gardens wasn't that promising either, as all the plant life would be dead after facing the past week's frost, the ornamental pond frozen over, and the swans and ducks that swam those ponds tucked securely into their nesting boxes.

Her parents, she knew, were busy with their own preparations- as they would be entertaining guests at their Gillikin Manor house, while Glinda herself would be spending the holidays celebrating with the citizens of the Emerald City. It would be impolite to bother them with not so much as a day's notices, and impoliteness was very much not Glinda's style.

But what could she do, then? Spending the entire day locked into her room like some cloistered Bird was perhaps the most unappitizing. But she could no longer dwell on these thoughts- as a muted knocked from inside her chambers alerted her to the arrival with one of the serving girls bringing up her early breakfast. Before shutting the great, freezing glass doors behind her, she sighed, and took one last glance at the grey, sky which was just beginning to lighten in the farthest part of the East. She used to so enjoy sleeping in...

---

Breakfast was simple, and so finished quickly. As was the daily task of primping herself into the meticulous, addressable state in which she always faced the day; once a hour-long task, now shortened with the help of five or so Maidservants who painted and plucked and re-curled every ounce of curl and ruffle, her gaze wander out towards the wide balcony windows as she was fussed over, noticing that the spare snowfall of earlier had turned into a great, downy flurry of flakes. It was after this that Glinda found herself helping to oversea a decorating process outside in the hallway of her rooms; watching as wreaths and garlands and tiny, winking candles inside carefully formed glass orbs were strung up in the sake of being festive. Not that she actually hung them herself- she had not decorated for Lurlinemas since she was a child. Bows and ribbons and shining slivers of every sparkling, glittering tools imaginable were twirled and draped from banisters and light fixtures, until the entire barren stone walkway was transformed into a successfully cheery Card worthy picture.

"This'll be the best'un in years, won't it, Ghamora?" Glinda's attention was momentarily drawn to a cheerful, drawling Munchkin footman, who was aiding one of the Scullery girls in placing a gold-shimmering glass icicle on a lower stand of the upper stairwell. " What with not having to worry about that Witch and all. Last year nobody dared celebrate openly at all- but just look outside; it's right full of holiday, as it should be!"

"Certainly, Finneon- I can't wait to return home myself. Ma's been boasting of how our entire town's lit up the entire house like a flame; I haven't heard her so cheery about anything in years..."

Glinda stopped listening, becoming instead overly interested in a porcelain dancing girl who was dangling from a string of holly, as if wondering if it were slightly off center. Her mind, however, was far away from dancing girls or holiday celebrations where peoples houses' lit up like they were on fire. Her mind was, in fact, on the so carelessly named Witch. And the feeling that she tried to stuff down every day to the very tips of her being so she didn't break down and cry like the childish thing she had been. Now, though, as all this festive ringing around her, she couldn't help but realise how very different this year would be, not just in matter of decorations, and in a decisively un-good way.

She couldn't even hope that Elphaba was having a good holiday somewhere.

Elphaba was dead.

She hated that word, that thought. Dead. Death. Died. Those words sounded so final. Carved in literal stone. Expired was not much better, and No longer amongst the living was just odd. Those words cheated her, for every way her mind tried to squirm around them, forget them, they came popping back up like some obscene toy. Dead. Death. Died.

Silently, she slipped down the hall, stopping here and there to yet again make as if she were admiring something, even pulling a few bows needlessly straighter. She didn't listen in on anyone's conversations anymore.

Dead. She's Dead. Died. She died. Death. Glinda'd done nothing to stop her death.

As those thoughts kept playing through her head, Glinda failed to realise a change in the hall. Few and fewer people were hanging up decorations, dust was collecting heavy and more visible layers. By the time she did look up, she only partially realised where she was, but did not actually seem to care.

When the Wizard had been dispelled with, secretly, her orders, the parts of the castle he had occupied had remained vacant. In the beginning, a few people had come and tried to leave items there, as some totally absurd monument to a man Glinda did no care what happen to. The rooms were shut up, and eventually, the visitors trickled to a stop. As only half of the palace was in use, the other had grown neglected- not so much as to me dirlect, but enough that it was in desperate need of a cleaning. It basically upset people to go there, only serving to make the Ozians dwell on the Wonderful Wizard who was now lost to them.

"Oh.."Glinda muttered to herself, picked at the top of her dress to keep the hem from dragging on the dirty ground. Busily fixed on cleaning away the evidence of her stroll to the neglected end of the palace, she only caught the first movement of something before her from the corner of her vision.

But it was enough. She looked up.

Nothing.

That's what it had to be- nothing. Her mind was playing tricks on her, as she thought of ghosts from her not so distant past, they made her see things in the present. She had bee overworked, today, she should use this day for rest, so she didn't see things that weren't there.

_Twink. _

But- there, she swear she saw something move, though it was no longer there, for what she could see. This time, it was accompanied by a light, airy chime- like shattering crystal.

Not good- this was definitely not a good sign- seeing and hearing things. She should have come here- should have just headed back to her room-

_Twink-Tink._

Again...a noise! Louder, sharp and piercing. She was not imagining any of this...it was almost like footsteps. Delicate, surefooted footsteps. Approaching her- but she couldn't see anything!

The only thing for it was to leave- to run and leave, and not think about it again. Perhaps she should head back and celebrate with the merry decorators. Yes, that would be the answer. She shifted her many skirts to move, as something behind her made the same chiming tinkle- not un familiar to the clink of expensive crystal against a metal utensil.

"This is _not_ funny!" She started, once she had turned once more to find the barren hallway as barren as it had always been. Her voice was not cooperating with her plan to sound firm, however, and it broke slightly.

She was left, for a moment, with the sound of her own breath, and her heartbeat rushing in her ears.

"Much better." She whispered, and turned ever so slightly.

"So jumpy, Miss Upland!" The very are seemed to ring with a tinkling sort of laughter, and a chill that reached into Glinda's chest that stole her breath was answered with a brush of something frozen, cold and solid against her bare ankle.

She couldn't hold in her scream.

---

_Wanna tell me how much this sucks? Feel like berating me for disappearing for so long? Or do you actually like it? You know what to do...and it involves that lil' review button over at the bottom._


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